kitchen chairs

there was a loud bang this morning around 530. it was d sitting down in the kitchen and his chair collapsing. our cheap ikea chairs came to us via our neighbors and we knew they wouldn't last too long. so now we are on the hunt for something new.



for now we have the remaining ikea model - and my beloved eames molded plastic side-chair has moved from the bedroom to the kitchen.

so what should we hunt for to replace...

i was thinking perhaps of two more eames but with wooden dowel legs.

dwr

or a search for a series 7.

dwr

i had an opportunity to scoop up a couple of breuer cesca chairs. no arms. they would have been perfect. i passed. (oh for better foresight!) but they don't seem hard to find second hand - so this might be the ticket. perfect mix of chrome and natural materials.

I'd go for a natural finish.
dwr

hmmm....

backyard tour pt2

my home office



on days i work from home, once the kids head out to school, i head to our modern shed. (once they are home i tend to move back onto the dining room table.) the space is small. cool and comfortable. d has started a deck extension that will integrate it more into our space. this is the summer we dial things in!



CA modern came yesterday to take a few shots for an upcoming article - so the space was looking extra shiny.



thought i'd take a few snaps myself.



older pics here

shelved

we are looking to reconfigure our "tv" room and thinking about additional shelving. the hiccup. our tv. we don't watch much. d thinks we should move it into the office and just have bookshelves. (we own a small library of books - housed throughout our home which we could consolidate.) but i like it near the kitchen (as it is now).  when it is on it keeps everyone in the "heart" of the house.

most of the inspiration sheets i've collected don't include a tv.

like this...



atlas industries


dilemma.

(lot's more inspiration collected at pinterest.)


{more backyard soon. the sun is hiding behind the clouds today so my pics all look too grey.}

more backyard wildlife

we also house a small redeared slider in the backyard. we have a large pond in the breezeway but opted for a simple stock-tank pond in the back. i love these images of the stock-tank pool at big bang studio that were circulating around the internet a year or so ago. while we already have a pool - a stock-tank makes a lovely water feature too.



we run a simple electric pump in it. like this one. i had wanted to go solar - but couldn't find one with the power to keep a turtle pond clean. we filled it with large rocks for her to hide and bask on from local shop Jacobi Building Materials. we also stock it with a few aquatic plants, and fish.

i love the sound of running water alongside the multitude of birds our backyard attracts. the turtle seems to like it too.

backyard tour pt1

with the clean lines of our mcm home we have let the landscape be wild. hardscape has straight edges but i am happy to let the plants take over. i love looking outside our large windows into the greenness. (we are more in line with the eames school of landscape and decorating than a minimalist approach.)

our yard is a grouping of zones: "farm", office, pool, eating, sitting...



we have three raised beds off of our main patio. two we use for veggies (to augment what we receive via our CSA) and the third for cut flowers. it is between seasons right now. i have started to clear a bit. and made room for three heirloom tomato plants. the arugula has bolted. but i love the fine flowers - and haven't had the heart to yank it yet.



d built these out of untreated redwood 2 x 6's stacked two high. two are 4 x 4 feet and the third started life as our sandbox and was tweaked to run 2 x 6 feet.



the fancy chicken wire fence. longterm temporary (a common phrase around here) while we design a new chicken run. we need it, to keep chooks - and the broccoli-loving dog - out. natch.

gone to pot

true to my promise to myself to jazz up our plant life i have made a few trips to potted. convenient: as we are also doing a school re-greening project only a couple of blocks away. inspiring: potted has a wonderful collection of pots, plant material, garden accessories, and installation ideas. and there is a great indian restaurant next door. (which included a moby siting.) win. win. win.

i've picked up two beautiful pots - and my dream birdbath - which k has further jazzed with the addition of a porcelain pigeon i thought i had hidden away. anyway, speaking of pigeons...



i love this pot. and finally ordered it. so much loveliness at pigeon toe ceramics.

so funny to learn that my dear friend received the same pot at almost the same time. this staghorn fern would be oh so much happier hanging out in portland rather than here. to up the humidity ante, it is currently living in our shower. rain in the forecast will hopefully allow it a foray outside over the weekend. and i think eventually - a move north is in its future. i will work to keep it alive until then.

a succulent would - and will - be a much better way to go. (i am working on two macrame hangers for potted succulents. i'm on a bit of a macrame kick. ambitious plans. i will share soon.)

From the Archive - Corners of Our Home 2

this is the corner with the window we just replaced - blogged over 5 (!) years ago over at jumilla stories. quite a bit has changed here. but I thought it would be a fun way to see what it looked like before "before"...

"after" post soon!

first posted at jumilla bugs 2/9/06 10:41 a.m.



This is normally the quiet corner of our house. It is the seat my mom seems to prefer when she comes to visit. Lots of stories read here. Trying to get lots of knitting done here - though a story on a lap takes precedent. This house is so much about light. Again, it is the light of this corner, especially in the morning, that I love.

And the chair. I love this chair. It came to us from my in-laws. As did so much of our furniture and furnishings. D's parents had taste. It is a Milo Baughman design. The matching ottoman is long gone. Victim to too much rough-housing on the part of my husband and his brothers. We reupholstered it after rescuing it, the original vinyl torn, with this wonderful fabric. So soft - in color and touch. It is a comfortable spot.

There is a bird's nest just outside this window. In the tight space between the roof and the chimney. Every year since we moved in, a family of birds have called this home. Every year there are new babies. Every year we watch to see them exit the nest and take their first careful sojourns around our backyard. I was worried that recent roofing and painting would disturb them, but they are still there. And spring is around the corner...